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200 Words Or Less

Gifts From Enola

Local Eyes Betrayed the Mind
Independent (2007)

It's been almost ten years since Mogwai released their now classic debut Young Team and still countless younger bands are trying to emulate that almost entirely instrumental, post-everything sound that relies just as heavy on ambient noises as it does on actual musicianship. I give praises to Gifts From Enola for actually creating a disc that shows some promise of … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Blutch

Materia
At A Loss (2007)

It's pretty easy to play in a doom/black/death metal band: depending on the style either play extremely fast or extremely slow, and, again depending on style, make your recordings sound like they were either recorded inside a garbage can or in a muddy swamp. Because of this, it also makes to be easy to mediocre playing in such a genre. … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Rob Crow

Living Well
Temporary Residence (2007)

Rob Crow is everywhere. Just the sheer amount of the bands he has been in could take up the word quota for this review. To sum it up though he has been in such bands as Heavy Vegetable, Ladies, Goblin Cock, and most notably Pinback. This disc takes a lot from Pinback and even has resemblances to Pinback's 1999 debut … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Small Sails

Similar Anniversaries
Other Electricites (2007)

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Small Sails are here to put you in a seriously great mood. Formerly known as Adelaide, this once cinematic instrumental band decided to add some vocals as an instrument and completely leave words out of the equation. "Ooohs" and "Ahhhhs" litter the album as the band traverses through ten tracks and sees them play everything from … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Creeping Weeds

We Are All Part Of A Dream You Are Having
Hot Horse (2007)

There are some bands that are just the sum of their influences and nothing more. These bands trade off their name dropping and ability to sound like their favourite bands but at the same time do nothing of any real originality. These bands seem to just be happy to follow in the footsteps of the bands before them and not … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Aoria

I Know You Came Here to Erase Me
Independent (2007)

It's been a year since I first reviewed material from this Swedish rock group. Well Aoria are back with a new two-song EP. While the previous demo had more a new-wave meets rock aspect to it, these two songs tread different water. "A Slow Moving Storm" is just that - a slower moving track that seems to draw an awful … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Off Balance

Demo
Independent (2006)

Whoa! It's like I hit a time warp and traveled back to the early years of the NYHC scene. But I didn't. Off Balance hail from Indianapolis and they're out and about playing gigs right now. This demo is seven tracks of throwback hardcore that draws heavily from bands like Sheer Terror and Killing Time. I found it interesting that … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Restrained

You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Chains
Glory Kid (2007)

A demo tape - heck yeah! It's been quite a while since I've seen one of these. Restrained blast through seven songs - one an intro - in just under ten minutes. The tracks contained here are quite reminiscent of the His Hero is Gone/Tragedy school of punk. The songs are gritty and fast; the vocals are coarse and yelled … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Souvenir's Young America

September Songs
The Perpetual Motion Machine (2006)

Originally released as a limited run of 100 cassettes, Perpetual Motion Machine has decided to repress a small number of September Songs in preparation for Souvenir's Young America's upcoming tour with Aughra. If you missed your opportunity the first time, don't miss out on it again. Souvenir's Young America has been slowly but surely making waves in the instrumental rock … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Christian Brady

Christian Brady
Independent (2006)

For those that don't know, Christian Brady is the bearded frontman for Mass Movement of the Moth, and this is his self-recorded cassette that his mom helped him release. Like Mass Movement of the Moth this tape is kind of "out there" in a fun kind of way, and is really all over the place. Expecting to hear typical acoustic … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Sleigher

Worst Songs
Sassbologna (2006)

As their name would make you believe, Sleigher slays, and they do so as a totally improvised, two person unit. Self-recording the music at their house with a guitar, drums, and piano, the results are surprisingly good. This isn't God-awful "Who Line Is It Anyway" improv that leaves you without the ability to laugh for a few hours, this is … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Various Artists

Underground Hip Hop Essentials Vol. 1
Sassbologna (2006)

It hasn't been until recently, with my discovery of artists like Ghostface Killah, that I started listening to hip hop again. I was excited when I saw this release, and knew I wanted to venture into the world of hip-hop reviews. The Underground Hip Hop Essentials Vol. 1 comp features thirteen tracks from underground rappers from around the country and … Read more

Unsane

Visqueen
Ipecac (2007)

Damn, it is real hard to believe that Unsane is still going strong (minus a break from 2000-2003) almost twenty years after initially forming. Like many people, my knowledge of the band originates with seeing their video for "Skrape" on MTV many moons ago. The gnarly visuals (predating CKY, MTV's Jackass, or Scarred) of skateboarding accidents instantly made me a … Read more

Willy Mason

If the Ocean Gets Rough
Astralwerks (2007)

Listening to Willy Mason, it is hard to remember that the voice being projected through the speakers belongs to a youth barely twenty-two years old. His voice is a true hybrid, mixing influences of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and William Elliot Whitmore, producing a voice that is mature beyond its years. Accompanied by an array of instruments that help to … Read more

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